Newburyport High School's Class of 2008 Fundraiser

On Sunday, May 6th, Richard and I participated in Newburyport High School's Class of 2008 Fundraiser, which was a Mother's Day photo shoot session.

These were a few of our assistants!

Below is an excerpt from an article about the event. Below the article are some of the photos we took at the sessions that day:

"Aileen Maconi and her photography students are at it again. As Mother’s Day approaches, once again area professional photographers are teaming up with Newburyport High School students to provide reasonably priced studio portraits to the public.

"From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 6, the high school gym will become a photography studio as Chris McGarry, Kent Messamore, Megan Jones and Pearl Racette participate in the fundraiser to support the arts at NHS and the Class of 2008.

"Each portrait session includes a 20-minute shoot and one 8-by-10-inch color or black-and-white print for $75. People will also be able to order additional prints of their choosing for up to 30 days. Discounts on framing at Post Road Framers, co-sponsor of the event, will be also on offer. “Typically, you would pay $350 for a session with these photographers — and $40 to $50 per print,” Maconi says. This year, families of members of the military get portraits for, like, totally free.

"Photography students will be on hand as assistants to the professionals. Mostly their duties entail distracting the family pet or chatting up a toddler — but it’s the experience that is the most important for them, Maconi notes.

"These sessions gave students some preliminary insight into skills you only learn by doing. Maconi points out that’s the way it always was in the arts, students studying in the studio of the master and working their way up to their own business. “The more education you have in visual literacy,” she adds, “the better you can understand. That’s what these courses do.”

“I love photography so I just wanted to be around professionals,” says student Brittany Sheehan, who said she particularly likes working with people and lighting. Brittany thinks maybe she will go into art therapy. “I’m very excited,” says Brittany Roberts.

"Some of Maconi’s students are art-oriented, some are technology-oriented, and others are just looking for a way to express themselves. Some are just whimsical. “I learned about the wind effect,” Steven Davis joked. “Someone takes a board and waves it!” Apparently this is a technique developed by classmate Maggie Tobin during a down moment in class. “It’s good they’re getting experience beforehand,” says Jones. “They benefit more from the fundraiser.”

"Maconi says at least four of her seniors are going off to college with the intent of majoring in visual photography and video. At least 10 will study photography as a minor. “It’s a great thing to teach my kids the professionalism of it as well as the artistry, but also it raises money,” she says.

"This year a portion of the proceeds will go to enhancing the art department’s photography equipment and/or software. Maconi’s classes are using an outdated version of PhotoShop and they have only one digital camera. Last year Maconi purchased some vital parts of a lighting system, on which she would also like to build. The project will be using the local digital lab and co-sponsor Infocus to print the photos."

Thanks to all of our models for participating in this wonderful fundraiser! We had a GREAT time!!! Hope to see you back next year! We would love to hear from you about your experience. Feel free to comment on this blog! A big thanks goes out to Aileen Marconi who coordinated this event and to all the students who volunteered their time and efforts to help us make the event a success! Kent & Pearl -- it was great to work with you again! Megan -- it was great to meet you and work with you!

Best,

Chris & Richard